Author: schwartzp

The class of 2016 hosted the annual dodgeball tournament for middle and high school. The class raised over $170 by selling snacks and charging for team involvement. Five teams in total competed, and the winning team, the Sisters, received a pizza party.

Contestants sign up for the dodgeball tournament in groups of 8. The contestants paid five dollars per person to help fundraise for the class of 2016. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSophomores Madeline Surette and Susie Buck sell snacks and drinks at the concession stand before the tournament begins. The tournament was hosted by the student government of the class of 2016. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSeventh grader Ben Lantz winds up to throw the ball at the opposing team. Lantz’s team was the runner up in the tournament. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSeventh grade team named Hornets attempts to eliminate members of the opposing team in the finals of the tournament. A player is out in dodgeball if they are hit with a ball, if they cross the line, if they step over the starting line before the referee says go, or if a member of the opposing team catches the ball that was thrown. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSeventh grader Will Janowicz throws the ball towards seventh grader Jake Athanas. Athanas was the last member of his team to be out; however, if he caught Janowicz’s throw he would have brought a member of his team back into the game. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineAthanas catches the ball allowing one of his teammates to come back into play. A player cannot be out if the dodgeball hits their head, which is required as a safety precaution. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineThe Hornets team lines up as they prepare for the final round of the tournament against the team named The Sisters. The referee announces when the team can go over the line and begin that round. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Seventh grader Luca Schwartz sacrifices himself for his team. By making himself an open target, his other team members were able to launch the dodgeballs successfully at the other team. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

On Friday May 30th, students of Manchester Essex Regional High School attended the junior and senior prom. The prom was held at the Black Swan Country Club in Georgetown. Before the prom began, many students went to Tucks Point in Manchester for pictures.

The YMCA of the North Shore directed a middle school production of the “Wizard of Oz.” Middle school students acted and helped with music, lights, and backstage responsibly. The play was performed on May 23rd, 24th, 25th.

Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineEighth grader Charlotte Hoff performs as the character Dorothy Gale with her dog Toto played by Liz Staid. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSixth grader Mia Cromwell and seventh grader Kendall Hersey play Dorothy’s guardians, Aunty Em and Uncle Henry. Eighth grader Heather Holley portrays Miss Gulch. Holley also plays the Wicked Witch of the West. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineGlinda, played by sixth grader Paige Mandia, greets Dorothy for the first time as they are surrounded by Munchkins who are played by various middle school students. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineCredit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Sixth grader Whitney Johnson plays the scarecrow, as well as the character Hunk on the farm in Kansas. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineCredit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSixth grader Julia Kaper portrays the Tin Man as well as Hickory, one of the farmers. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineHolley, playing the Wicked Witch of the West, threatens the Tin Man as they are surrounded by apple-throwing trees. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineDorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, and Tin Man meet the Cowardly Lion who is played by seventh grader Jake D’Ambrosio. D’Ambrosio also plays a man on Dorothy’s family farm named Zeke. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineCredit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineThe Wicked Witch of the West cast a spell that gave the poppy flowers the power to put all of the characters to sleep. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineBefore seeing the Wizard of Oz, the people of Oz help to make over the Tin Man, Dorothy, and the Cowardly Lion. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineD’Ambrosio gives a speech as the Cowardly Lion about how important courage is. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineCredit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineMiddle school students held umbrellas, lights, foam tubes, and foam hands in order to create the image of the Great and Powerful Oz. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineCredit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineDorothy tells Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and Scarecrow that she must go home to Kansas. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineCredit: Phoebe Schwartz and Susie Buck for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Sophomore biology class conducts a lab consisting of the study of muscle fatigue. Biology teacher Maria Burgess chose this lab to show her students how a repeated motion in the muscle can cause exhaustion throughout the body.

Biology teacher Maria Burgess encourages sophomore Zack Even while he squeezes a pump with his hand. The repeated motion of squeezing the pump caused fatigue in whichever muscle was being used. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineThe class separates into groups for the lab. Teacher Maria Burgess separated students by using popsicle sticks with each student’s name on them. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSophomore Ben Wolseiffer observes Phelan as he completes a trial using his hand. In this lab, there were three “testers”, and the students compared the results to one another in order to observe the decrease in productivity over time. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSophomore James Marshall uses his humerus to squeeze the pump while sophomore Jarrod Young counts each time the flap lifts up. Each time the humerus bends back and forth, the sarcomere shortens and relaxes the muscle, causing contraction. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSophomores Even and Julia Mitrano count the number of times their teammate can squeeze the pump using their muscles attached to the humerus, or the arm muscle, within the span of one minute. The red flap on top of the pump system lifts up to indicate when the pump is being squeezed. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineBurgess assists sophomore James Phelan by readjusting the pump in preparation for the lab. This lab focused on the use of the skeletal muscles in the body, which are voluntary muscles since they can be controlled consciously. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSophomore Molly Lynch uses her tibia (the calf bone) and her femur (the thigh bone) to see how many times she can squeeze the pump in one minute. Fatigue was exemplified through the results that the students recorded during the trials of the hand, arm, and leg muscles. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Sophomore Jarrod Young answers the questions at the end of the lab. Each group collectively answered questions according to their evidence. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Engineering teacher John Bannister-Marx instructs the annual bottle rocket project with his seventh grade classes. The students collected plastic bottles and transformed them into rockets by adding wings and tops. The seventh graders then launched their bottles and recorded the data.

Engineering teacher John Bannister-Marx draws examples of good and bad wing types for the students’ rockets. Bannister-Marx explains that large, jagged wings are not as aerodynamic as small, straight ones. Credit: Susie Buck and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSeventh graders Luca Schwartz and Jack Julien glue extra parts to their bottle in order to make it more durable. Schwartz hot glues a piece of Styrofoam intending for it to be attached to the side of the rocket while Julien glues half of a foam football on top of the bottle. Credit: Susie Buck and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineStudents draw diagrams of what they want their bottle rockets to look like. They use tennis balls and foam cones to protect the top of their bottle when it hits the ground after launch. Credit: Susie Buck and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Seventh grader John Crehan researches effective bottle rockets. The students were required to look up various types in order to figure out the most aerodynamic and durable kind of rocket. Credit: Susie Buck and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineMany students cut tennis balls in half using a miniature hand saw and a clamp attached to the side of a table to hold it in place. The seventh graders then attached them to the end of their rockets so that there would be less damage upon impact. Credit: Susie Buck and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineA couple of days before the project began, students collected both 1 and 2 liter soda and seltzer bottles. Credit: Susie Buck and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineThe majority of the class waits on the sidelines as a team launches their rocket. The students were responsible for measuring the angle of the rocket at its maximum height and the distance away from the launch pad in order to find the height that it flew. Credit: Susie Buck and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSeventh graders Emma Cochand and Clara Davis fix the broken wings of their rocket using duct tape before their initial launch. Bannister-Marx assigned partnerships for this project who worked on their bottles for a few days before launching. Credit: Susie Buck and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineBanister-Marx holds the base of the pump steady so the pressure of the water doesn’t move the base. The pump uses 80 units of water pressure to launch each rocket into the air. Credit: Susie Buck and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSchwartz repairs his rocket after his group’s firs launch using duct tape to keep the wings intact. Each group were given sufficient time before each launch to prepare their rocket. Credit: Susie Buck and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSeventh grader Ike Maloney records the height and distance of another team’s rocket as he prepares to launch his own rocket. There were always one or two teams getting their rockets ready for flight as one team launches and the other teams wait on the sidelines. Credit: Susie Buck and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineBefore each launch, students filled their bottles about half way with water using funnels to not spill any water on the turf. The more pressure pumped into the rocket, the higher it will fly. Credit: Susie Buck and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineWhile one student pumps the water pressure into the rocket, the other student prepares to pull the string over their head to initiate the launch. This is the reason why Bannister-Marx split the groups into two, so that each student would have a role in the launch. Credit: Susie Buck and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSeventh grader Libby Graves pumps 80 units of pressure into the rocket. Graves and Bannister-Marx wear protective goggles in case anything goes wrong during the launch. Credit: Susie Buck and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineThe students typically used small, pointed wings to increase stability and height of their rockets. They also used foam cones and tennis balls in order to make the bottles durable enough to endure multiple flights. Credit: Susie Buck and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

After all of the teams launched their rockets twice, the students returned to the classroom and recorded the data of their best launch on the white board. This was in order to compare the teams’ results to see whose rockets flew the highest. Credit: Susie Buck and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

In order to fund the class of 2016, the Talent Show was hosted for the middle and high school. The Student Government came up with the idea with the help of the sophomore class adviser Thomas Durfee.

Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSophomores Cassandra Gonser and Lydia Parker set up the concession stand before the talent show begins. The proceeds from the tickets and the concession stand helped fund the class of 2016. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSophomores Oscar Heanue and Charlie Davis host the Talent Show as the Masters of Ceremonies (MC’s). Their role was to introduce the contestants before each act. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSenior Alex Valenti plays the guitar and sings Latch by Sam Smith. Valenti won first place in the Talent Show for her performance. She is currently working on recording her own original music for a CD. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSeventh grader Paul Albani performs his own guitar composition accompanied by senior Nick Janowicz. Janowicz stepped in as the drummer unexpectedly when the original drummer could not make it. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineFreshman Louis Mesella performs Summer Time by George Gershwin on the piano. Mesella has been playing piano in the school band since seventh grade.Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSixth grader Madeline Coco plays the ukulele and sings Always by Panic! At The Disco. The class of 2016 raised $930 from the profits made in the Talent Show. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSixth grader Jenna Cirella performs Someone Like You by Adele. The class of 2016 gave $100 as a prize for the first place winners of the middle and high school, $50 for second place, and $25 for third place. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineFreshman Annabelle Lorde-Patey plays her guitar and sings Thirteen by Big Star. Lorde-Patey began recording demos of her own original music as well as covers of different songs. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSixth graders Claire Gendron and Sophia Pomeroy sing along and dance to the Chicken Song. Gendron and Pomeroy choreographed their own dance routine and coordinated their outfits to resemble chickens. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSophomore Melissa Schuh performs Say Something by Great Big World accompanied by sophomore Sara Rhuda. Schuh and Rhuda both participate in the Soundwaves a Capella group. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSenior Sophia del Valle and sophomore Chelsea Rose sing their own original mash up of Dark Horse by Katie Perry and Toxic by Britney Spears. They were accompanied by Senior Nick Janowicz on the drums and received second place for the high school in the Talent Show. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineRhuda performs a scene from the play Phantom of the Opera accompanied by her cast mate from the production of Les Miserables at the Never Land Theatre. They acted out and sang Point of No Return. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineEighth grader Sophia Collins sings When I Look At You by Miley Cyrus. Collins received third place for the middle school in the Talent Show as well as a prize of $25. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSophomore Jarrod Young performs Lamentations of the Heart by Phillip Wesley on the piano. This was the first time that Young had ever performed in front of a live audience. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineEighth grader Alexi Woodward sings her original song Here and Now on the piano. Woodward won first place in the middle school for this performance. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineFreshman Bridgett Kiernan performs Landfill by Daughter on the guitar. Kiernan taught herself to play the guitar when she was in sixth grade. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineWhile the judges decide the winners, the a Capella group the Soundwaves performs three songs. Soundwaves perform at many various school and community events. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Molly Lynch for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

MERHS a Capella group, the Soundwaves, hosted a Capella Night. Pingree’s Spectrum Highlights, Hamilton-Wenham’s Kings of the Beach, and Gordon College’s Scotsmen came to the high school to perform. Each group sang covers of multiple songs throughout the night. Different members of the Soundwaves hosted the a Capella groups, which entailed showing them around the school and making sure everything was on schedule for their performance.

On Friday April 4th, the girls Junior Varsity tennis team plays their first match of the season against the Masconomet JV team. The team consists of 22 players from both the middle and high school and is coached by math teacher John Banister-Marx.

The girls’ tennis team arrived a half an hour before Masconomet so that they could warm up and prepare before the match begins. This is the first match of the season for the girls. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineThe team created their own mini-game called “Teni Ball” to play as a part of their warm ups. The rules includes the ball being allowed to go out of bounds, it can bounce more than once, and there is no limit on the amount of players that are allowed on each side of the court. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSophomore Cassandra Gonser prepares for the other team to serve the tennis ball. Each player took turns practicing their serving before Masconomet arrived. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineA junior from the Masconomet JV girls tennis team serves the ball to the Manchester Essex team. When serving, the tennis ball must be hit by the player crosscourt and into the service box, otherwise it’s out and it’s the other team’s point. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineJunior Emily Jaworski prepares for a lob, which is when the ball is hit in a high arc to the other team. Jaworski is now one of the co-captains of the girls JV team. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineA player from Masconomet throws the ball up, getting ready to serve it to the opposing team. Once the player serves, the ball was said to be a let, which is when the ball hits the tennis court and bounces back inbounds to the server’s court, giving the other team the point. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSophomores Cassandra Gonser and Julia Camille work together as a team to gain the point for that set. The scoring for tennis consists of 0 points as Love, 1 point is 15, 2 points is 30, 3 points is 40, and 4 points is the end of a game. If each team has scored three points, then the call is Deuce. If the team wins by one point, it is called Ad., or Advantage. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia OnlineSophomore Cassandra Gonser hits the serve back to the opposing Masconomet team as the receiver. Before each serve, the player must say the score of the game with their score said first. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Sophomore Maddy Surette and freshman Santana Tosi begin their last set in their match against Masconomet. These matches consist of a 5 Game Pro Set for each match instead of an 8 Game Pro Set due to the cold weather conditions. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Art teacher Tamera Burns began the seventh graders unit on pottery by teaching them how to create fixed pinch pots. Making these pots includes having to fold and press the clay repeatedly until it takes on the shape of a bowl.

Seventh grader Austin Woodman-Pare constructs a fixed pinch pot in the shape of a turtle. Woodman-Pare uses tools like a fettling knife, a pin tool, and a rib to apply different textural elements and to shape the pot. Credit: Cassandra Gonser and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Students use a special concoction made by art teacher Tamera Burns called “Magic Water”. Magic water is used to slip and score clay together and to seal cracks when making hand-built ceramic pieces. Credit: Cassandra Gonser and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Students from the seventh grade partake in a different art class all throughout middle school to receive a variation of different courses. Ceramics consists of four different levels in high school. Credit: Cassandra Gonser and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Seventh graders Emma Lacey, Grace Brennan, and Thad Fulmer all put together different pots to show their different creative techniques and abilities. Lacey, Brennan, and Fulmer all scored and slipped on parts of clay to act as feet so their pieces could stand up. Credit: Cassandra Gonser and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Seventh grader Theron Palmer adds pieces of clay to his pot to give his work different and unique depths and designs. Palmer was making a wider, shallow pot for his project. Credit: Cassandra Gonser and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Students were allowed to form their pinch pots into their own unique creation including various types of animals. Seventh grade is the only grade in middle school that uses clay and takes part in ceramics classes. Credit: Cassandra Gonser and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Burns demonstrates to seventh grader Annalise Mora how to attach the handle onto her pinch pot. Mora was constructing a mug out of her clay to give to her parents as a surprise gift. Credit: Cassandra Gonser and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Seventh graders apply the “Magic Water” to their clay, in addition to rolling coils and adding designs to their pieces. After the students finish their work, they will be given constructive criticism by both Burns and other students in the class. Credit: Cassandra Gonser and Phoebe Schwartz for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Seventh grade and high school PE classes combine on Fun Friday. Students were given the option to either play Circus Ball in the gym or practice yoga in the workout room. Fun Friday allows students to have the opportunity to play a fun activity that is different to their daily curriculum.

Seventh grader Tucker Spencer touches the kickball to the top of a traffic cone and yells “stop!”. The objective of saying “stop!” is so that everyone knows that the play has ended and that any runners off of the bases are declared out. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Cassandra Gonser for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Students line up against the bleachers as they wait for their individual turn to be up to kick the ball. Circus Ball is a form of kickball that was introduced to MERSD by PE teacher Thomas Durfee since it was a game that he played when he was in high school. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Cassandra Gonser for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

Students relax in a popular yoga position called the Child’s Pose. This pose is used to release tension in the body and stretch out one’s hips, thighs, and back. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Cassandra Gonser for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online

After resting in Child’s Pose, sophomore Charlotte Freed stretches during Downward Dog, while sophomore Hannah White archs her back to form the Ragdoll yoga pose. The students were advised to follow the video playing at the front of the cardio room to receive the most beneficial yoga session. Credit: Phoebe Schwartz and Cassandra Gonser for Manchester Essex Multimedia Online